Malala Yousafzai opens the new Library of Birmingham in Birmingham, England, with an inspiring speech about the power of books. / Christopher Furlong, Getty Images

by USA TODAY

by USA TODAY

BRUSSELS (AP) - European lawmakers have nominated several candidates for the bloc's top human rights prize, including Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai and U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden.

The European Parliament said in a statement late Monday they were among seven nominees for this year's Sakharov prize. The finalist for the prestigious 50,000 euro ($65,000) award will be chosen next month.

The 16-year-old Malala, who survived a Taliban assassination attempt last year on her way home from school, was jointly nominated by three caucuses, making her the likely front-runner.

Snowden, who leaked a trove of documents on U.S. surveillance agencies' spying programs, was nominated by the Greens, a smaller pro-environment group.

The prize is considered the Europe's top human rights award. Previous winners include Nobel Peace Prize laureates Aung San Suu Kyi and Nelson Mandela.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All
rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.